Slide fastener



G. SUNDBACK SLIDE FASTENER Sept. 7, 1937.

Filed Dec. 21, 1934 IN V EN TOR. ii dawn Swedb a0 Patented Sept. 7, 1937 SLIDE FASTENER Gideon Sundback, Meadville, Pa., assignor to Hookless Fastener Company, Meadville, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application December-21, 1934, Serial No. 758,666

9 Claims.

This invention relates to sliders of slide fasteners.

Slide fasteners, for example as shown in my Patent 1,219,881, are well known and extensively used. These consist of a pair of stringers formed by attaching a row of interlocking elements along one edge of each of the tapes, and a slider embracing both rows and movable along the rows for interlocking or disengaging the elements. The slider includes a pair of pass-ages which converge into a single passage for interlockingthe elements when the slider is moved in one direction along the stringers and a wedge for disengaging the elements when the slider is moved in the opposite direction. The-two rows of interlocking elements cannot enter the single passage at the end of the slider without being interlocked. When the elements have been interlocked by the slider they form a closed locked seam in which a projection on each element on one stringer is nested in a recess in the adjacent element on the other stringer one side' of each element lying in a plane common to all the elements. The elements cannot ordinarily be disengaged except progressively from one end of the stringer. Many slide fasteners are constructed with completely separable stringers, for example as shown in the patent to Seaver 1,830,077 issued November 3, 1931, and are used on jackets and other articles which'require complete separation of the edges to'be fastened. In articles of this character, the closed fastener sometimes accidentally opens below the slider, due to a variety of causes, for example accidental separation of the end securing device,improper by wear or faulty manufacture and other causes. When this occurs, the slider cannot be moved to open the fastener because the two rows of disengaged elements cannotpass through the slider,

and the jacket or other garment cannot conveniently be removed by an .inexpert wearer without destroying or, damaging the fastener or garment.

It is among the objects of my invention to provide an improved form of slider which can interlock the elements upon movement in either direction and which will therefore properly interlock the elements of a fastener which have become separated below the slider.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter more fully appear.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a plan view of one form of slide fastener, including an improved slider embodying one form of my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section corresponding to proportions of the interlocking elements caused the line 2--2 of Fig. 1, but showing the slider in position to reengage a fastener accidentally opened, the stringers being shown in elevation;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a slider embody- 5 ing a modified form of my invention; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1, showing one form of interlocking element with which the invention may be used.

The fastener has interlocking elements i0 10 clamped to the corded edges l2 of fabric tapes l4 forming stringers which may be interlocked or disengaged by a slider l5 having upper and lower plates or wings [Band II, at the side edges of which are substantially perpendicular flanges Ilia and Ila. The plates are joined and held in parallel spaced relation by a neck l8. The upper plate preferably carries a handle or pull 19. The plates, flanges and neck form a. Y- shaped passage of rectangular cross section, the flanges or sides of the divergent branches of the Y forming converging cams which pull the rows of interlocking elements toward each other and cause the elements to interlock when the slider is moved upward in Fig. 1. The passage forming the tail of the Y is of a thickness just sufficient to admit an interlocking element, as shown in Fig. Land of a width just suflicient to admit the two interlocked rows as shown in Fig. 1. Thus in the usual slider construction the two rows cannot pass into this single passage, or mouth, unless they are properly interlocked.

When the slider is moved downward in Fig. 1, the neck IB progressively separates the elements to open the fastener.

My improved slider is provided with additional closing means formed by sioping inner surfaces 22 of the wings l6 and H which surfaces provide cam faces diverging toward the bottom of Fig. 1 and transversely to the common plane of 40 the interlocking elements. Preferably the surfaces also converge from the center of the slider toward the edges as shown in Fig. 3. This provides a mouth for the slider thicker at its center than the standard spacing of the plates, which 45 permits the fastener elements to cant and enter the slider while displaced from each other, that is, in a direction transverse to their normal common plane as shown in Fig. 3.

If the fastener is opened below the slider i the position seen in Fig. 1, and the slider is moved downward over the separated rows of elements, the flanges Ilia and "a hold the rows in alignment while the cams 20 and 22 permit transverse separation or canting of the interlocking ends of -by the action of the wedge-shaped neck l8.

However this operation permits the slider to be moved to the normally closed or bottom end of an accidentally opened fastener, and subsequent movement of the slider in the opposite direction leaves the fastener closed.

The edgewise interlocking action is facilitated by having the interlocking recess 24 of each element relatively large and the interlocking projection 26 relatively small, and tapering as shown in Fig. 5, so as to provide clearance 28 between the recess and projection. As shown in Fig. 1, each element is tapered to provide a guiding surface 25 which cooperates with the adjacent element to facilitate endwise interlocking by the flanges 16a and Ila, and as shown in Fig. 5, each element is tapered in the transverse direction to form similar guiding surfaces 25a to facilitate edgewise or sidewise interlocking by the cam surfaces 22. The slider thus has one set of converging cam surfaces for closing the fastener by endwise interlocking of the elements when the slider is moved in one direction, and an oppositely facing set of converging cam surfaces which interlocks the rows of elements by edgewise movement when the slider is moved in the opposite direction.

Fig. 4 shows an alternative construction of a slider embodying my invention. In this construction the cams are formed by cutting away and tapering the inner surface of each wing slightly more than halfway across the wing to form two cam surfaces 30 and 32 which are offset laterally from each other and disposed one opposite each stringer as shown in Fig. 4. Each wing extends beyond the cam surface of the other wing, for example the wing it and one flange I So. are extended beyond the cam surface 30 and disposed opposite the cam surface 32 to form an L-shaped guide 34, likewise the bottom wing I1 and one of the flanges I la extend beyond the cam 32'and opposite the cam 30 to provide a. similar L-sha-ped guide 36. The guide 34 acts on the left-hand stringer as seen in Fig. 1 while the guide 36 acts on the right-hand stringer as seen in Fig. 1 to hold the rows of interlocking elements in alignment against separation in their common plane when the slider is being used to close an improperly opened fastener as seen in Fig. 2. The portions cut away opposite the guides 34 and 36 permit the left-hand and right-hand rows of interlocking elements respectively to be displaced edgewise or cant in a-manner corresponding to Fig. 3 and upon movement of the slider in the downward direction the cam surfaces 30 and 32 move the elements edgewise or transversely into interlocked relation in exactly the same manner as do the cam surfaces 22 in Figs. 2 and 3.

The guides 34 and 36 extending beyond the cams of the slider also guide the slider on the interlocked rows when the fastener is being closed by upward movement of the slider as seen in Fig. l and cause the slider to run in accurate alignment with the interlocked rows. This prevents the slider from turning sidewise which might result in mismeshing of the interlocking elements.

While I have shown and described in this application one specific form and several other embodiments which my invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that these embodiments'are merely for the purposes of illustration and description and that various other forms may be devised within the scope of my invention as described in the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A slider for a slide fastener of the type including a pair of stringers having interlocking elements along their adjacent edges, comprising in combination a pair of spaced plates and a pair of cams disposed substantially perpendicular to the plates and diverging toward one end of the slider for interlocking the elements of the fastener when the slider is moved in one direction along the stringers, portions of the inner surfaces of the plates at the opposite end of the slider diverging toward said opposite end and converging toward the side edges of the plates to form cam surfaces for interlocking the elements when the slider is moved in the opposite direction along the stringers.

2. A slider as defined in claim 7 in which the side edges of the inner surfaces of the plates are parallel to each other and at a fixed distance apart throughout the single passage.

3. A slider for a slide fastener of the type including a pair of stringers having interlocking elements along their adjacent edges, comprising in combination a pair of spaced plates and substantially perpendicular flanges along the side edges of the plates, said flanges diverging toward one end of the slider to interlock the elements of the fastener when the slider is moved in one direction along the stringers, each plate being cut away to provide element-interlocking surfaces atthe opposite end of the slider extending at least from the center line to the edge on one side, the cut-away portion of one plate being opposite one stringer and the cut-away portion of the other plate being opposite the other stringer. I

4. A slider as defined in claim 3, in which the edges of the plates adjacent the cut-away portions are beveled to provide converging cams for interlocking the elements when the slider is moved toward the cut-away end.

5. A slider for a slide fastener of the type including a pair of stringers having interlocking elements along their adjacent edges, comprising in combination spaced top and bottom plates and flanges along the edges of the plates substantially perpendicular thereto providing a pair of converging channels each adapted to receive interlocking elements of a single stringer, said channels converging into a third channel adapted to receive the interlocking elements of a pair of stringers, one flange only and one side only of the top plate and the other flange only and the other side only of the bottom plate being extended beyond said third channel to maintain the slider in alignment on the fastener.

6. A slider for a slide fastener of the type including a. pair of stringers, each stringer having a row of interlocking elements and the elements of both rows when interlocked having sides disposed in a common plane, comprising in combination means for moving the elements into interlocked relation when the slider is moved in one direction, including a pair of spaced plates and a pair of cams disposed substantially perpendicular to the plates and diverging toward one end of the slider, and means for interlocking the elements when the slider is moved in the opposite direction along the stringers, said last mentioned means comprising a pair of cams diplates forming said single passage arranged to verging transversely to said plane and toward the opposite end of the slider.

7. A slider for a slide fastener of the type including a pair of stringers, each stringer having a. row of interlocking elements along one edge and the rows of interlocking elements when interlocked having sides disposed in a common plane, comprising in combination a pair 01' spaced parallel plates and flanges at the side edges of the plates cooperating with the plates to form passages for receiving the interlocking elements of the fastener, said passages converging into a single passage near-one end of the slider and means for causing interlocking of the elements of the fastener by movement of said elements in a direction transverse to said plane, said means comprising portions of the inner surfaces 01' the nation means for moving the elements in said plane and into interlocked relation when the slider is moved in one direction along the stringers, and means for moving the elements transversely to the plane and into interlocked relation when the slider is moved in the opposite direction along the-stringers.

9. A slide fastener comprising in combination a pair of rows of interlocking elements having, when interlocked, sides disposed in a common plane, each element having an, interlocking portion tapered toward one end of the fastener, and

a slider embracing the rows and including means tener, and means for moving the elements transversely to said plane into interlocked relation when the slider is moved in the opposite direction along the fastener, the tapered portion of each element providing guiding surfaces for the adjacent element when the elements are being interlocked either by movement in said plane or transversely to said plane.

GIDEON SUNDBACK.

'for moving the elements in said plane when the 'slider is moved in one direction along the fas- 

